Let the fear of acquiring new skills, perspectives, or knowledge paralyse you, and you’ll be trapped in your comfort zone. For first-time buyers of a house, condominium, or cottage that can be problematic as they have no ownership experience to fall back on—just hearsay based on the questionable experience of non-professionals (that’s friends and family). Buyers who have owned at least one property, may not realize how dated their experience is. A lot has happened in the last year or so, thanks to the internet and the economy. If a buyer’s real estate experience and knowledge are a decade or two old, it may put decision-making at risk or at least cause a buyer to miss out on the best the current market has to offer. Cellphones and the net don’t automatically answer your wishes like Aladdin’s Lamp. Look beyond what is easily available and beyond Google™ and Wikipedia™, to learn from the broad range of experience and wisdom of real people and creative professionals.

Even at the max pre-approved financing limit, buyers may not be able to purchase the location or type of housing they prefer. Add a rent-paying boarder or two, or a income-generating second unit to the real estate mix, and borrowing power is extended. Lenders will usually include at least half the rental income in mortgage calculations which can mean a mortgage large enough to buy that “dream home” or preferred neighbourhood. After a few years, the rental may no longer be necessary, or it could have evolved into a financial powerhouse in paying off the mortgage. Include a home-based business, and tax advantages will lower income tax while increasing cashflow. Using a mortgage broker to shop for the best mortgage package available can increase returns and expand affordability even further.

What the family thinks a buyer should do, may be dramatically different from what the buyer would like to achieve, or it may be more than the buyer is ready to commit to. Add to this, the pressure to move near family, and you have buyers who are paying the mortgage on a house or condominium that may not really be their first choice. Purchase a property for family convenience or under pressure from others, and the independence that comes with real estate ownership is compromised from the beginning. If you don’t reach beyond what family thinks you can do because they know you so well, how will you discover that brilliant future that can lie ahead?

The major limiting factor in buying real estate is not what the market is doing, but how creatively buyers can achieve the goals that matter to them. Play follow the leader and do what your friends are doing, and you’ll end up with what they’ve all settled for. Expand your thinking by learning more about where personal value lies and how to be a savvy buyer, and you’ll end up with more home, a more affordable mortgage, and less wasted money.

Advantages become strengths when they are consciously used as bridges to overcome disadvantages. If you don’t move out of comfort zones, you’re in danger of never discovering what you’re missed.

Source: What’s Your Point?